Talk » The Orioles have reeled in a Hall of Famer!

"Good morning http://www.rockiesfanproshop.com/authentic-chad-bettis-jersey , Camden Chatters.Sing us a song, you’re the piano man. Sing us a song tonight...Well, actually, sing us a song on July 26. Because that — as the Orioles announced yesterday — is when Billy Joel himself will be performing at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, marking the first music concert in the ballpark’s history.I love it. Lord knows there won’t be many people showing up to watch the Orioles next year, so anything the O’s can do to get people to their ballpark some other way is much appreciated — and much needed. Who knows? Maybe some happy concert-goer will drive home, the strains of Uptown Girl still resonating in his head, and think, “I really liked that place. I should go back there sometime and give this ‘baseball’ thing a try.”If the concert’s a hit, maybe the Orioles can go all-in and have Billy Joel Night at the Yard or something the next time the O’s play there, replacing the lyrics to We Didn’t Start the Fire with notable moments from Orioles history (as Grant Brisbee delightfully attempted on Twitter).The possibilities are limitless. I’m excited.LinksBilly Joel will play at Oriole Park in team's first concert - BaltimoreBaseball.comRich Dubroff has all the details of the Billy Joel performance, including quotes from John Angelos about how it could boost the Orioles’ brand. I’m planning to be there! Will you?Orioles fans ask about Adam Jones, prospects - Orioles.comIn response another reader question about the possibility of Adam Jones returning, Joe Trezza thinks the chances are creeping slightly higher the longer Jones remains unsigned. As I’ve said before...I wouldn’t hate that.The curious case of Cobb - School of RochDo you think Alex Cobb knew what he was in for when he signed that four-year deal with the Orioles last March? Well, now he’s stuck with them. But as Roch Kubatko notes, Cobb could turn into a potential trade piece if he pitches well in 2019.Will Orioles fans find new ways to analyze a season in 2019? - Steve MelewskiSteve Melewski asserts that the true measure for success for the Orioles in 2019 will be whether their young players take a step forward, not their win-loss record. I agree. Not that it’ll make all the losses any more pleasant.Orioles birthdays and historyIs today your birthday? Happy birthday! You share your special day with current Orioles utility man Steve Wilkerson, who turns 27 today. It’s also the birthday of 2008 righty Greg Aquino (41) and a pair of deceased Orioles, 1957 outfielder Carl Powis (who would have been 91 today) and 1954 infielder Neil Berry (who would have been 97).On this day in 1991, the Orioles made an ill-advised trade of Mickey Tettleton for Jeff Robinson. Tettleton had had three productive seasons as the Orioles’ catcher and went on to have four more solid years with the Tigers, while Robinson spent one ineffective season in the Birds’ bullpen. That’s also, fine. Really, it is."Let’s talk about the best case scenario for the Cincinnati Reds during the 2019 season for a minute. It’s mid-July, and the club has burst back into the national spotlight, with rebound seasons from Sonny Gray and Joey Votto dovetailing perfectly with Yasiel Puig crushing mammoth dingers in his contract year. Scooter Gennett’s prolonged breakout has continued Kyle Freeland Jersey , Alex Wood has proven to be the best left-handed starter the Reds have had in their rotation in years, and manager David Bell just continues to pull all the right strings. They’re in contention, and not only are they not about to trade away some of their players who are in their final year under contract, they’re even looking to add at the trade deadline - perhaps Brandon Morrow to bolster the bullpen, since he’s on the last-place Chicago Cubs in this here dream world.That’s fun, right? And really, it even fits marginally within the realm of expectations, albeit only if pretty much everything breaks the right way for the Reds. That scenario, right there, would absolutely mean the 2019 Cincinnati Reds would have the highest payroll in team history, as they would carry their $120+ million opening day payroll (plus additions) through to the end of the season, eclipsing the 2014-2015 payrolls that sat around $115 million. Truly, it would be a sight to behold.The reality check here, though, is that the odds of that happening are incredibly slim, especially in an NL Central that looks to be the toughest division in baseball top to bottom. So, with the club set to enter the 2019 season with a ‘record payroll’ north of $120 million that includes a laundry list of players in their final year under team control, how realistic is it to expect the Reds to hold on to all of them until the end of the season? And, if they don’t, how much below the $115 million threshold from the 2014 and 2015 seasons could they conceivably end up?Obviously, a start to the season anywhere near as dreadful as the one last April would immediately torpedo any hope of chasing a playoff appearance. If that were to happen, it’s nearly impossible to see the Reds holding on to the likes of Matt Kemp or Tanner Roark, in particular, given their depth in the corner OF spots and in young starting pitching. Their play in 2019 would certainly dictate what type of return the Reds might expect in dealing them given their combined salaries of nearly $32 million this year, but shedding one - or both - would clearly take them out of ‘record’ territory. Total payroll numbers are murky http://www.rockiesfanproshop.com/authentic-chad-bettis-jersey , but Cot’s Contracts mentions the 2014 Reds with an opening day payroll of over $114 million, and the lone real trade they made to shed any salary mid-season that year was an August 31 trade of Jonathan Broxton that saved them only about a million bucks.That, of course, doesn’t even get to the likes of Puig, Scooter, Wood, and David Hernandez, all of whom also would likely be on the trade block prior to both trade deadlines in the even the Reds sputtered to another last-place run.Even if the Reds follow their predicted path - one that PECOTA suggests would have them in the running for a .500 season and a 3rd place finish in the Central - it’s also easy to envision them exploring trades of Kemp and Roark, especially if Nick Senzel seizes the CF job and one of Tyler Mahle, Cody Reed, Sal Romano, Brandon Finnegan, or Tony Santillan dominates in AAA Louisville and deserves a promotion. In fact, if the second half of that scenario plays true, the Reds could even conceivably try to trade Kemp/Roark even if they were leading the division as laid out in the first scenario up top.The lone caveat that might well factor in to their decision making whether in first, last, or somewhere in between is the decision on whether or not to issue any Qualifying Offers to their would-be pending free agents at season’s end. Really, it’s only really in play for Puig, Gennett, and Wood at this juncture, though given each’s relative age and the stagnant free agent market at this time, it’s even hard to imagine the latter two being in that conversation barring massive 2019 seasons, respectively. With that in mind, it’s really hard to envision scenarios where the Reds refuse to consider offers for that trio and the rest of their players in their final years under contract given the opportunity cost and actual financial ramifications of choosing to keep, and pay Ryan McMahon Jersey , each for what may well be a pair of meaningless months in August/September.Maybe the Reds do storm the Central and look to bolster their bullpen in July with a big name, high-price reliever. They’d still be looking to trade expensive veterans in that case. Being both buyers and sellers in July isn’t the most common scenario in the world, but it’s certainly one that we’ve seen before - the Pittsburgh Pirates played that role just last year, as did the 2004 Boston Red Sox famously while trading franchise cornerstone Nomar Garciaparra mid-year before going on to win their first World Series since the Norman Conquest. That, it would appear, is the best case for the Reds for 2019, as it would mean both a return to their winning ways, threading the needle on their notoriously tight budget, and also recouping assets for the future of the ever-turning rebuild, all while opening up playing time for the most promising younger players in the system.None of this is meant as a true critique, mind you. Despite the emphasis owner Bob Castellini made this winter that the team would have a ‘record payroll,’ it’s 100% obvious that a) putting together a great roster and b) actually winning games is way more important than the actual bottom line, even if there’s a pretty great correlation between spending and winning games. In fact, it’d be best case scenario if the Reds can find a way to win fabulously, ship off expensive back-ups, and roll that savings into signing star-caliber players in 2020, 2021, and beyond. You’d be silly to prefer the alternative, really. What’s been made clear this winter is that the Reds are not only trying to win now while still planning on winning in the future, and that they’ve been aggressive in their pursuits of both. That’s what really matters here much more than the actual numbers on the cheque ledger come October. It may well end up a record, but it’s increasingly likely that the end of season won’t be, but the 2019 season itself might well end up a damn more memorable one if it doesn’t than if it does.And yes, this can absolutely be taken as a roundabout way of poking holes in the Joey Votto’s ‘albatross’ contract is hamstringing the Reds payroll argument one more time.